In what comes as delightful news to future Tesla customers, Tesla has increased the range of its new Model S and Model X variants by 10 percent of the initial range. The Model S can now cruise at a range of 375 miles with a single charge whereas the Model X range clocks at 325 miles.

Tesla says that the increased range has been added to its cars without making any changes to its existing 100KWh battery. The battery specifications continue to remain the same despite the increase in range. Bottom line, the battery capacity still remains the same. Tesla attributes the increased range to an overall increase in the efficiency of the system level design in the drivetrain.

Increased Efficiency, Torque, Lubrication, and Adaptive Suspension

Apart from the increased range, the highly efficient version of the latest drivetrain brings with it a bunch of features aimed at increasing the performance of the Model S and Model X as a whole.

With the new and improved drivetrain, charging speed has definitely taken home a bonus. The improved system is expected to get an increased charging speed by at least 50%.

The suspension system of the car has also received a major boost in this update. Adaptive damping feature has been added to the suspension systems. This will ensure a seamless and smooth driving experience while on Autopilot, Manual Mode, or even while adopting a highly dynamic driving method. Tesla mentions that the new suspension system will now utilize a predictive model with the inputs depending on the road, vehicle speed, traffic, and driver. These inputs are then analyzed to conclude on the adjustments that need to be made on damping.

Other major changes include new wheel bearings, tire designs, improved lubrication, power, and torque. The Autoadaptive Damping system coupled with the increased Torque and Power can be expected to be a major game changer if you plan to take out the Model X for some really tough off-roading activity.

Tesla also added that a lot of technical frameworks have been incorporated into the new Model S and Model X cars with a forward-looking perspective. These have been added into the cars as a scope for future improvement and refinement of Tesla’s EV Technology. One such future improvement that Tesla referred to here could be that of the Full Self-Driving Capability which is expected to be rolled off by the end of this year.

Standard Range Options to made available again

As a part of the system upgrade, Tesla has also brought back the Standard Range Option variants. The standard mode variants will also come equipped with the updated drivetrain, auto-adaptive suspensions, and other above-mentioned features. This will ensure the availability of these more refined technologies to the customers at a much lower rate.

How can the current Tesla owners gain access to these updates?

All these performance-based updates are for the new Model S and Model X. And, since most of these updates are based on a more refined technical framework, existing Tesla owners cannot receive the same via over-the-air updates. The cars will need to have the updated drivetrain and other hardware frameworks to possess increased range and other performance-based features. However, Tesla has got it covered for its existing customers.

Existing customers have been given the Ludricious Mode upgrade wherein they can purchase a new Model S or Model X equipped with the updated drivetrain and other features at a value of $20,000.

A Tesla Model X | Source – Tesla Press

What do we think of this update?

Even with the prior range numbers, Tesla was the global leader in the Electric Vehicle Market. Now, increasing the range of the new Model S and Model X well above 300 miles has yet again put Tesla several light years ahead of its competitors. Most of Tesla’s competitors have not yet been able to even achieve a 300-mile range for their electric cars.

From a consumer’s point of view, these updates from Tesla are going to make some major impact. Increased range and fast charging will ensure that Tesla owners will now spend considerably less money on their cars than they used to. Increased performance suits such as Auto Adaptive Suspension, increased power, and torque will ensure a much better driving experience. In short, all of these updates are going to make a considerable positive impact on the life of Tesla owners.

Production and Rollout

Tesla tweets on the production of its latest drive unit | Source – Tesla, Twitter

Tesla announced that production of the new Model X and Model S are set to go into production at Tesla’s factory in Fermont this week. Interested customers, however, can start placing online orders for the same now.

This article was last updated on 25th April. We will keep updating the article in case of any updates.